# Track Podcasts (remote · trackpodcasts.com)

Who sponsors which podcasts, from transcribed ad reads. Free: 10 calls/day with no key, 25 with one.

- Trust score: 72/100 (medium)
- Change this week: −8
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `trackpodcasts.com`: 72/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors/api-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors/api-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.1.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-11-05.

- **Endpoint Security**: 63/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 5 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 81/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 576 tokens (~115/item across 5 items; 5 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 40/100
  - Stability check failed: schema churn in the 15 days we've observed: 0 tool removals, 0 breaking changes, 1 auth/transport breaks, 0 additions.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 5 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 6 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 60/100
  - Spec-recency check failed: implements MCP spec 2025-06-18; the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the Track Podcasts MCP server?

Track Podcasts is a hosted endpoint at https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors 'https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors": {
      "url": "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors]
url = "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors --url 'https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors:
    url: "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors -t streamable-http -u 'https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-11-05 (score 72, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 37 to 40.

### 2026-11-04 (score 71, −12)

- [security regression] Authorization: fail → unverified
- [security regression] Stability: 0.43 → fail
- [functional] Server version: 1.0.0 → 1.1.0

### 2026-11-03 (score 83, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 40 to 43. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 12 days of observed history at the previous scan, 13 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-11-01 (score 82, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 33 to 37. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 10 days of observed history at the previous scan, 11 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-30 (score 81, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 27 to 30. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 8 days of observed history at the previous scan, 9 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-28 (score 80, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 20 to 23. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 6 days of observed history at the previous scan, 7 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-26 (score 79, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 13 to 17. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 4 days of observed history at the previous scan, 5 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-23 (score 78, +11)

- [security improvement] Transport: fail → pass

## MCP tools (5)

### `get_show_sponsors` (~129 tokens)

Sponsors of a podcast

Who sponsors a given podcast. Returns every brand whose ad read was detected in that show's transcribed episodes, with how many reads, whether they were host-read or network-inserted, and when they were first and last heard. Accepts a show title, a trackpodcasts.com slug or a URL. If the title is ambiguous it returns candidate shows to choose from instead of guessing. Detected ad reads only — brands that were merely mentioned are not included.

Input parameters:

- `show` (string, required): Podcast title, slug or trackpodcasts.com URL, e.g. "The Glenn Beck Program".

### `get_brand_podcasts` (~102 tokens)

Podcasts a brand sponsors

Which podcasts a brand advertises on. Returns the shows where that brand's ad reads were detected, newest first, with the exact total even when the list itself is truncated for the plan. Accepts a brand name, slug or domain (a domain is the most reliable). Returns candidate brands when the name is ambiguous.

Input parameters:

- `brand` (string, required): Brand name, slug or domain, e.g. "Squarespace" or "squarespace.com".

### `get_sponsor_activity_summary` (~111 tokens)

A brand’s advertising over time

How a brand’s podcast advertising has moved month by month: shows reached, ad reads detected and organic mentions, for up to 36 months. Use this for trend questions ("is this brand spending more?", "when did they start?"). Months with no detections are returned as zero, which means nothing was detected rather than that the brand stopped.

Input parameters:

- `brand` (string, required): Brand name, slug or domain.
- `months` (integer): Months of history to return. Defaults to 12.

### `get_coverage_info` (~62 tokens)

What this dataset covers

How much of podcasting this dataset actually covers: shows indexed, episodes transcribed, and the real number of brands and shows with detected ad reads. Call this before stating any sponsor finding as complete, and to explain why a show or brand might be missing.

### `get_busiest_categories` (~68 tokens)

Busiest advertiser categories

Which advertiser categories are buying the most podcast ads right now, by ad reads detected, with the number of brands and shows behind each. Aggregate only — it does not list the brands in a category.

Input parameters:

- `days` (integer): Lookback window in days. Defaults to 30.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors/api-mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 72
- 2026-11-04: 71
- 2026-11-03: 83
- 2026-11-02: 82
- 2026-11-01: 82
- 2026-10-31: 81
- 2026-10-30: 81
- 2026-10-29: 80
- 2026-10-28: 80
- 2026-10-27: 79
- 2026-10-26: 79
- 2026-10-25: 78
- 2026-10-24: 78
- 2026-10-23: 78
- 2026-10-22: 67
- 2026-10-21: 77

## Common questions

### What is the Track Podcasts MCP server?

Track Podcasts is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as com.trackpodcasts/podcast-sponsors. Who sponsors which podcasts, from transcribed ad reads. Free: 10 calls/day with no key, 25 with one. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp).

### Is the Track Podcasts MCP server safe to use?

Track Podcasts scores 72 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Track Podcasts MCP server expose?

Track Podcasts exposes 5 tools: get_show_sponsors, get_brand_podcasts, get_sponsor_activity_summary, get_coverage_info, get_busiest_categories. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 472 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the Track Podcasts MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to Track Podcasts without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the Track Podcasts MCP server still maintained?

Track Podcasts is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://trackpodcasts.com/api/mcp
- Website: https://trackpodcasts.com/mcp
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors/api-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors/api-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-trackpodcasts-podcast-sponsors/api-mcp